More than 200,000 expected to attend ploughing championship

It is already being billed as the biggest ever National Ploughing Championships and the 83rd event hasn't even started.

The championships get under way tomorrow at Ratheniska, near Stradbally, Co Laois, and is expected to attract more than 200,000 people over the three days.

The weather and the traffic are usually the two issues that can make or break attendance figures but a week of good weather is on the cards and this is the second year the event has been held on this farm so the Garda traffic plan has been finely honed to cope with all eventualities.

Met Éireann's Jean Byrne said a lot of dry weather was expected this week, especially in the east and south, but there would be plenty of cloud. She said it would be slightly milder than average for this time of year. "We're talking about 15 to 18 degrees. But it won't be sunny. I wouldn't be saying it's an Indian summer. There will be a lot of cloud overall but well below average amounts of rainfall."

The site, at 800 acres, is 20 per cent bigger than last year and is marked by 26km of trackways. The walkways are wider this year to make it easier to move around, and many of the 1,400 trade stands are also bigger to contain the expected crowds.

Competitions

More than 300 people will take part in the ploughing competitions while a further 30 competitors from 10 countries have entered in the European Vintage Ploughing Championships which are also taking place at the site.

After a break of 23 years, the national brown-bread baking competition has been revived and is expected to draw large crowds over the three days of competition.

Traffic

Gardaí have urged motorists attending the event to ignore their sat-navs as traffic must follow one of six main access routes. They will be all clearly signposted with ploughing signage.

Traffic from Cork and parts of Munster travelling on the M8 should exit at Junction 4, signposted for Johnstown and Urlingford. Traffic from Dublin, Leinster and the north of the country travelling southbound on the M7 should exit at Junction 15. They will be directed towards Vicarstown and Stradbally.

Traffic from Limerick, Kerry and the southwest travelling on the M7 will be asked to exit at Junction 17 and continue towards Portlaoise town. Traffic travelling from the west of Ireland on the N80 will be directed through Mountmellick town as far as Emo, before heading towards Portlaoise.

Traffic from the south east and Carlow will travel through Simmons Mill crossroads on the N80 and continue towards Stradbally via the Windy Gap. Traffic from Kilkenny travelling along the N78 will be asked to turn left at Newtown crossroads and continue to Timahoe where traffic will be diverted to one of two routes.

Vehicles will park in 25 colour-coded car parks which will have airborne blimps to help people find their cars.

Bus service

Bus Éireann is running a shuttle bus service from Portlaoise and Portarlington train stations, operating to suit train times. The drop off point is near the gates entering the purple car park, close to the three main entrances along the front of the site.